Keeping Kids Active & Healthy - Health Lesson Plan

Title: Keeping Kids Active Curriculum Area: Health Grade Level: Grade 3 and up
Objective: The students will gain an understanding of how important it is to be physically active by learning about the benefits of an active lifestyle along with learning many different activities that will keep them healthy.

Materials: overhead projector, list of 101 ways to be active for overhead and each student, "I was active this week!" handout for overhead and students.

Procedure:
1) Background information about presentation topic.
2) List of facts associated with a physically active lifestyle. (See attached list)
3) Introduction to topic
a. What would you say if I was you parent and I said you could not do
your homework until you go outside and play for an hour first? b. Explain some reasons why I would say what I said, i. Gives oxygen to brain ii. Reduces fatigue and boredom iii. Increases social and emotional skills iv. Helps to get a better night's sleep
4) What kinds of active things do the students do after class? a. Hand out/show on overhead 101 ways list b. Discuss list with class c. Hand out and explain sheet for kids to fill out.
5) Ask the kids to try to do something active each day rather than watch TV, play video games, or play on a computer.
6) Dismissal.
Evaluation: Did the students gain a better understanding of a physically active lifestyle? Did they fill out each day on the "I was active this week" handout with something that was physically active?

Keeping Kids Active!
Facts:
Only 56% of American students are enrolled in physical education courses.
Recess is being cut to allow more time for other core courses.
Physical activity is directly linked to higher scores on standardized math tests, better social and emotional skills, and less fatigue.
13% of kids ages 6-11 are considered obese. 61% of adults are overweight.
Type-2 (adult onset) diabetes has increased 50% in the past 10 years.
A typical 2-11 year old watches 3 hours and 14 minutes of TV every day.

101 Ways to Be Physically Active
play baseball, go swimming, play hockey, play tag, go hunting, jump on a bed, play football, go hiking, have a pillow fight, rake the lawn, shovel snow, build a snowman, jump in a pile of leaves, mow the grass, ride a bike, build a snow fort, play soft ball, go canoeing, run, play kickball, play soccer, go for a cruise in a paddle boat, go water skiing, go snow skiing, play tennis, go skateboarding, give a friend a piggy back ride, go snowboarding, play volleyball, go roller bidding, go wakeboarding, do karate, jump rope, lift weights, go sledding, make a snow angel, sweep the kitchen, dance in the shower, play on a swing set, vacuum the living room, walk up and down stairs, play in a sand box, play racquetball, go fishing, go; rock climbing, juggle, clean your room, climb on monkey bars,
do gymnastics, climb a tree, jump on a trampoline, build a
sand castle, go kayak ing, play hop scotch, play dodge ball,
play four square, go shopping, fly a kite, make a play with
friends, build a fort out of blankets, wrestle, catch glow
bugs, chase a butterfly, dig for worms, walk a dog, hop on a
pogo stick, play catch with a ball, play frisbee, play ping
pong, jog, walk around the block, do a cartwheel, spin in
circles until you are dizzy, play capture the flag, wash a car,
look for frogs, do a summersault, jump in puddles, play cops
and robbers, play charades, chase a rainbow, run through a
sprinkler, go to a water slide, play golf, do jumping jacks,
play basketball, go figure skating, play pom, pom, pull away,
roll down a hill, skip rocks in a lake, pick flowers, plant a
tree, catch a grasshopper, go surfing, play monkey in the
middle, slide on kitchen floor in your socks, play Annie, Annie
over, play hide and go seek, have a snowball fight, do the
hokey pokey, shake your sillies out!

Download complete lesson plan PDF's in the upper right corner of each page.

Lesson Plans Contact Us Home